Home → Main News ( September 16, 2026 )
August 15, 2026, at 1:0pm found the American Legion Post 953 Honor Guard in service to the Dennis Farm Charitable Land Trust (DFCLT) and its America250PA Semiquincentennial event at the farm in Brooklyn Township, Susquehanna County. Six members of the Post provided the posting of the colors, a gun salute and taps.
American Legion Post 953 Honor Guard pictured (l-r) are: David Palmer, Bob Simmons, Daniel Hewitt, George Mecca, Grant Palmer, Judy Potts
The gun salute and playing of taps were in recognition of the four United States Veterans buried on the site at the family cemetery. Veterans of the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the American Civil War are interned at this site. The Dennis Farm is recognized for still being owned by descendants of the same free African American family that settled it in 1793 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This America250PA event celebrated the legacy of this families experience here in the Endless Mountains and its continued element as part of the local community.
The Nicholson American Legion Post 953 meets the fourth Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm on 73 State Street, Nicholson, the site of the historic Northern Electric Train Station and next to the Nicholson Presbyterian Church. New members are welcome. Come join us as we celebrate our community and service to it.
On September 3, 2026 I sat down with Montrose High School Principal Terrence Whalen to learn more of this monumental achievement of the school being recognized as one of the “Best High Schools National” by US News & World Report for 2026-2027.
Out of 654 Districts and 771 High Schools in Pennsylvania, Montrose High School achieved an overall score of 86.78 out of 100, ranking them 93rd out of 654 in the state of Pennsylvania. Within Susquehanna County, Montrose is the only Junior/Senior High School with a ranking under 100.
Speaking with Principal Whalen he stated it was a total collective effort of the teachers going back to their elementary schools preparing the students and to students who worked hard. He said last year they ranked 140 and he wants to recognize the hard work the students and teachers are putting into education realizing current and future value of their learning. Principal Whalen said they are continually collaborating their efforts to building a better way and he is pleased the way it showed in this achievement.
I questioned Principal Whalen if Montrose High School participates in dual enrollment with local colleges and he affirmed they participate with Lackawanna and Keystone Colleges. Principal Whalen said the Community Foundation and Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission both donate to these programs. Thirty percent of the funds donated by the Community Foundation pays fully for the students to take the A/P exams. The other percentage of funds go to paying the college credits for the students.
Another subject I brought up was how Montrose ranked next to cyber charter schools since many people choose cyber charter rather than conventional schools lately. I also realize by attending school board meetings the way the current government funding to schools is hurting the conventional ones. Principal Whalen said I would be able to look up that information on the US News website. What I found was the following information which I will compare to Montrose:
Montrose
Commonwealth Connections Academy
I compared Montrose to Commonwealth Connections Academy since this Cyber Charter school has the highest enrollment of students in Pennsylvania and was the highest ranking among the other Cyber Charter schools I researched, which were Achievement House, Insight PA, Reach Cyber Charter, PA Leadership Charter and Agora Cyber school, whose numbers were much lower.
Not only was Montrose the best ranked school in Susquehanna County and 93rd in the State of Pennsylvania it also ranked high above any Cyber Charter school.
Congratulations, Montrose!
The Susquehanna County Commissioners made a few more changes to the Sheriffs Department during their meeting on September 9, 2026. Andrew Genneken was transferred from his position of part-time Temporary Security Guard to the open, non-union position of part-time Sheriff Deputy effective August 27, 2026.
Matthew Granick, Assistant Chief Deputy Sheriff had additional duties of County Detective/Task Force job title and duties assigned with no change in pay or benefits effective August 20, 2026.
Another personnel change was the termination of Lisa Carrighan from the position of full-time Telecommunicator effective August 31, 2026.
The advertising bid for the replacement of the HVAC unit located above the Domestic Relations Department was received with only 1 bid from Scranton Electric at a bid price of $313,131. Commissioners will forward to the Engineering Department for review and if there are no issues the bid will be accepted.
Resolution 2026-06 was approved authorizing the Progress Authority to file a grant application to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the Susquehanna County Countywide ATV Feasibility Study which will evaluate opportunities for a safe, sustainable and connected ATV trail system that enhances outdoor recreation and supports tourism and economic development throughout the County while working collaboratively with municipalities, landowners and community stakeholders and following the successful model of similar ATV feasibility and trail planning studies conducted throughout the Commonwealth.
Email protection services will be monitored by Shadow Technologies in Dallas PA for Barracuda email protection at a total cost of $38,115 effective November 27, 2026 through November 26, 2029.
A Professional Service Agreement was approved with Greenman-Peterson, Inc. to conduct the 2026-2027 operating and maintenance inspections. These inspections require a Department of Environmental Protection report, submissions and emergency action plan updates for three county-owned dams; Harford, Brooklyn and Springville effective August 28, 2026 at a total cost of $10,250.
The 2020 Ford E450 Bus with a mileage of 152,132 has been sold at a bid price of $4,700. The 2016 Ford Explorer with 106,217 has also been sold at a bid price of $5,878.
The next scheduled meeting will be held on September 23, 2026 at 9:00am.
During the Public Comment session of the regular Susquehanna Borough monthly meeting held on September 9, 2026 a resident of the community, Troy Roberts expressed his concern seeing cameras throughout the borough. He said he works in other areas, Scranton for instance and Flock Cameras are all over the area.
Flock cameras are automated license plate reader (ALPR) systems made by Flock Safety that record and track vehicles using artificial intelligence (AI). Flock is a name brand – what these particular cameras do is read plates, log details and share data.
Mayor Gow and Council President Sue Crawford turned the conversation over to Chief Burman to answer any questions Mr. Roberts had and to clarify the type of cameras that have been installed in the Borough over the past few years. President Crawford stated these are not new to the Borough, they add more as they have the funds to do so.
Chief Burman stated the Borough has limited resources to have police presence 24x7 and cameras that are currently installed are not Flock cameras. They do not read license plates or pick up a vin number or bad inspection stickers, they only record an image of the vehicle and depending on day or night and lighting conditions they may show specific colors which is a good start for an investigation. Since he has been working in Susquehanna the cameras have been used quite a few times for a hit and run collision and theft. Chief Burman said it is a tool they use and they are not trying to invade the privacy of an individual. The camera system is only for Police use and maybe shared if necessary with the borough’s mayor, that is all. It is not a shared system and they do not share information with anyone outside the department.
Mayor Gow commended Mr. Roberts for coming to the meeting and inquiring about the cameras instead of engaging in Facebook rhetoric. He would like to see people come to meetings if they have questions about borough government or police activities.
Mr. Roberts also spoke about his profession as a carpenter and he is willing to volunteer for needed work for the borough. He stated he is a member of Local 445 and as a volunteer he is able to get the word out regarding the profession and volunteer services. President Crawford instructed him to leave his contact information before he left the meeting and thanked him for offering his services to the borough.
Doug Arthur informed Council chickens were still an issue and President Crawford said she will ask Butch Kelsey, Code Enforcement Officer to get in touch with Northeast Inspection Consultants (NEIC). He also stated the water is still coming off the building into his basement.
John Szvach, one of the Little Leage Board of Directors thanked Council profusely for their support of the little league field. He said without them there would be no little league in Susquehanna. Mr. Szvach stated the previous night they had a big meeting at the field which was very productive. They are looking for new LED lights, dug outs and fencing and will be working through the borough for grants. Mr. Szvach said Oakland park has new fencing and other items we are currently lacking.
One concern is the tractor, trying to maintain it even though its been 2-3 years since the last maintenance. The other concern is the shed shingles are bucked since its so old and the water is leaking inside. Mr. Szvach said the plywood inside is black and white mold and that would need to be taken care of also. He would like to see a new roof put on before the winter, but if affordable maybe purchase a shipping container instead of putting money into an old shed. Mr. Szvach stated a shipping container could last 30-40 years and would be able to house the tractor, zero turn mower, a hitch and an air compressor. President Crawford asked if he knew what a container would sell for and Mr. Szvach said he saw one for $2,000 delivered on Facebook Marketplace. President Crawford said she would get in touch with Kevin McKee, DPW Supervisor and get back to him.
The DPW monthly report consisted of finishing the Front Street storm drain repair project. Only thing left of the project is to level concrete blocks that were set during the repair. The manhole cover on Main Street is repaired and the light pole that was damaged on Main Street was ordered and should arrive within a few weeks. Regular maintenance and attendance at the Little League meeting were completed.
Mayor Gow turned over his time to Chief Burman to provide his monthly report. Chief Burman reported there were 24 calls answered during the month of August and 16 incidents State Police reported responding to. Susquehanna Officers detained and took 3 people to Lackawanna County Jail who had criminal warrants against them from different jurisdictions. The officers continue to serve the community by continually striving to keep law and order throughout the borough.
Chet Walker shared good news for Ira Reynolds Riverfront Park, the Moose Lodge 794 has given a significant donation to the borough to purchase swings and mats for under the swings. The Moose Lodge is a Fellowship of members with the goal of helping children and seniors.
The next scheduled meeting will be held on October 14, 2026 at 6:00pm.
The regular monthly meeting held on September 8, 2026 by the Forest City Council Members had a lengthly discussion regarding police cars and radios. The agenda item called for Council to approve a 2026 Ford Explorer at a price of $52,457 and new police radios for the car and hand held in the amount of $58,985 for a grand total of $111,442,00. Before any motion could be made Council members wanted Assistant Chief Dzanis to account for the necessity of the products.
Assistant Chief Dzanis informed Council the Dodge Charger is in rough shape and will not be able to pass inspection without purchasing new tires, 1 axle and 1 rear shock. He also stated there is something seriously wrong with the transmission. While driving on the highway it makes terrible noises and he feels putting more money into the car, even though it has approximately 50,000 miles it is not holding up like the Ford Explorer even though the Explorer has double that amount of miles. Assistant Chief Dzanis stated they need all three vehicles which they use for every event in the borough, plus if one car is in the shop and an officer has to be at court there needs to be an available vehicle.
To justify purchasing the radios Assistant Chief Dzanis said the current radios are not dependable and there are multiple instances other officers can’t hear the reports coming through. The new technology is digital and will be connected to the car radio. If an officer is speaking into the hand held at a scene the message will go through to the car radio.
Council members discussed different resources to purchase the needed car and radios, determined how they would accomplish it and passed the motion to purchase both the car and the radios. The final decision for purchase was the safety of the officers.
The Scranton Marathon which is being held on October 11, 2026 starts at Forest City Regional School District and Mayor Cost said they are still looking for additional volunteers to help with road closures. If available to help contact Chief Foley.
Ordinance #531 Sewer/Refuse Trash Billing Ordinance was adopted. This Ordinance is for the tax collector to be able to collect the sewer and refuse bill at the same time as taxes for the Borough are collected.
Solicitor Marissa McAndrew gave a copy of the proposed Zoning Ordinance to add Data Centers and Solar Farms. She informed Council she took items from the Susquehanna County Soil and Land Development Ordinance (SALDO) to create the ordinance and gave it to the planning committee who made some changes to submit some stricter guidelines. Solicitor McAndrew asked Council to review it and report back to her with any questions, changes or concerns. She said it would need to be advertised before they could adopt the ordinance.
Bids were received for the 2026-2027 winter snow removal season, in fact it was only 1 bid and it was from the same bidder as last year. The bid price was also the same as last year at $5,500 per clean up by Steve Mikloiche. Since it was the only bid and winter is coming Council awarded the bid to Mr. Mikloiche.
Solicitor McAndrew will be donating trees to the borough for school students to decorate for Christmas. The tree decorating will take place November 23-24th.
Council President Jason Obelenus brought to the table Resolution #9-2026 Unexcused Absence from Meetings and Compensation. Council members are paid once a year $75 per monthly meeting and President Obelenus stated it isn’t fair to the rest of Council if people choose to miss a meeting. He said people elect officials to conduct the business of the borough and show up at meetings. In the resolution it specified what would constitute a legitimate excuse for not showing up such as sickness, family emergency or business travel. Councilman Bernie Scalzo had an issue with the resolution stating he didn’t think it fair since the monthly meetings take less time than what they do outside the meeting and because it wasn’t clear enough. President Obelenus asked if anyone would like to take the resolution and make it more specific. There were no volunteers so President Obelenus asked Councilman Scalzo if he would be willing to rewrite the resolution since he wanted it to be more defined in black and white. Councilman Scalzo stated he would take it to be rewritten. Solicitor McAndrew suggested putting in language when it would take effect, immediately or effective next term.
Resolution #10-2026 was approved authorizing an application to the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for “Main Street Matters Façade Program Funding” at no cost to the borough obtaining total money $200,000; $100,000 grant money and $100,000 minimum match from the participants.
Approved was moving all Money Market accounts except General Fund from Honesdale National Bank (HNB) to First National Bank (FNB). This move was by all accounts a no brainer. The borough was receiving .97% interest on the accounts from HNB and moving the accounts to FNB they will receive 3.15% interest rate on the accounts.
The next scheduled meeting will be held on October 5, 2026 at 6:00pm on the 3rd floor of the borough building.
It happens every year about this time: as winter nears, everybody begins to prepare. Great Bend Borough’s maintenance worker, David Hook, will be hunting up salt for the streets. And streets weren’t the only concern at the Borough Council’s September 3rd meeting. Where’s the money to come from for MS4 and PRP?
Municipalities like Great Bend where storm water enters adjacent waterways – like the Susquehanna River – are required to update their Pollutant Reduction Plans (PRP) every 5 years for their Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MSSSS, or MS4). In Great Bend’s case, the MS4 is a single 15-inch pipe that carries water to the river. Milnes Engineering has estimated that an update would cost about $10,000, or just about ten thousand dollars more than the Borough has budgeted for such a thing. Certain small MS4s can get a waiver under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Council is hoping that, once the plan is prepared, the town can get such a waiver against costly updates in future. Fingers crossed.
Mr. Hook also reported that the town’s zero-turn mower needs some major repairs. That would be less costly than replacing the 10-year-old machine, but Mr. Hook was directed to investigate models and prices anyway.
Council member and parks maven Liz Landes asked permission to purchase 3 sheets of plywood for artwork that will supplement the annual holiday parade. Such plywood could cost as much as $80 per sheet.
Council will open bids in October for a drainage project involving the Washington and Williams street areas. That’s also probably going to be more than budgeted.
Facing all of this, a request from the county Conservation District for a donation to support a new Environmental Education Center adjacent to their headquarters outside of Montrose, was turned aside.
And, as usual, the town is looking for the Emergency Management Coordinator that is required by law of all municipalities. Any volunteers?
The Great Bend Borough Council will meet again on Thursday, October 1, 2026 beginning at 7:00pm in the Borough building at Elizabeth & Franklin Streets, where a tree that is coming apart will soon be removed, if the Borough can afford it.